Discovering the Essence of Yoga with Jal Yoga’s Founder

Jal Yoga officially opened its doors in Singapore in late January to bring practitioners of yoga, Pilates and barre to new levels of authenticity and realisation. Nestled in the lush greenery at Alexandra, the brand new studio mixes state-of-the-art facilities with thoughtfully designed space to give their clients a beautiful space to contemplate, relax and train in comfort.

“Jal” means water in Hindi, embodying the founders’ philosophy in using a holistic approach to help practitioners adapt and rise to new heights not just in yoga, Pilates and barre but also in life. Interestingly, they have a unique Infrared Heat Yoga Studio which radiates therapeutic heat without heating up the air, unlike hot yoga. This cutting-edge Far-Infrared-Technology panel offers similar benefits to hot yoga – added flexibility, range while also helping practitioners heal faster from sports injuries, reduction of aches and pains as well as clearing one’s skin issues. Jal Yoga also has plans to offer Ayurveda in the future, to provide holistic treatment. We spoke to their founder, Mr Pardeep Fogat, to find out more about his journey as a wellness entrepreneur and the story behind Jal Yoga.

Founder Mr Pardeep Fogat with co-founder Miss Jasmine Loh

Q: What led you to want to learn yoga and immerse yourself in its teachings?

I was overweight and was having asthma that restricted my physical activities.

Q: Are there any big life lessons that you’ve gotten from yoga? And if so what exactly?

Biggest lesson that I’ve learnt is “letting it go” with peace and without anger, hatred or jealousy. Nothing is permanent, everyone and everything play a role in our lives and yoga helped me in realising it.

Q: What is it you love most about yoga?

Yoga helps me in bringing my heart and mind together and in parallel. I am never hesitant in taking decisions because both decision makers (heart and mind) are working together.

Q: You’ve participated in quite a few yoga championships over the years, can you tell me what those experiences were like?

Amazing experience! Nervousness as well when watching seniors performing poses which I was still trying to achieve. It gave me a surge in my adrenaline each time I participated in a competition. Not only did I receive compliments on poses I did well but more importantly, the feedback on what I can further improve on. It motivated me to continue learning and practicing.

Learning was also a part that I would like to mention because when you are in a competition and you have many people performing better than you, some may feel discouraged but yoga taught me to be neutral. Winning or losing is not important, it’s the learning experience that I gained most from.

Q: You said you aim to bring a unique sense of empowerment to others, why do you think yoga is able to accomplish that?

Yoga means union of mind, body and soul. If we practice the right way regularly, we can have command over our body and our emotions. Once we reached the level where our body, mind and soul are united, believe me this world has no strength to upset us. With every inhale, we will become stronger and every exhale, we will be freer.

Q: And on that note, do you think that has influenced yoga’s wave of popularity and growing relevance in this day and age?

I’m most certain of that, especially in this modern world where success is measured by achievement of material possession.

Q: What sets Jal Yoga apart from others?

Authenticity! During the last three years in Singapore, I have seen studios trying so hard to outdo each other by introducing modern yoga practices that combine with non-yogic exercises like weight training, dance or doing yoga under extreme heat. Many have followed the gym culture by turning yoga class into a cardiovascular class making the participants sweat relentlessly with little or no benefits to the body and mind. At Jal, it is different, in terms of variety of classes, in terms of assistance and correction in the classes, which leads to real result. You should come and experience it yourself!

Jal Yoga’s Infrared Heat Yoga Studio

Q: What would you say to someone that wants to or is hesitant to start taking up yoga?

Just go ahead! Even if you are not flexible, or overweight, or feeling intimidated to join a group class, yoga does not discriminate. After the fear, what awaits us is “victory”.

If you think that you don’t need yoga because you are already into some other fitness regimen or sports, think twice! According to science, for every muscle that contracts, it needs to be properly stretched in order to become stronger. In that sense, everyone needs yoga as we contract our muscles even if you are not doing any vigorous exercises.

See you at Jal 😉

Jal Yoga offers many unique styles of yoga, including:

Angamardana – adopted by the Indian Paramilitary as a compulsory fitness regime; comprising of standing, sitting, squatting and lying down, the practice assists practitioners to gain mastery over their bodies and lift their minds above modern stresses and worries.

Yoga for Sports – these performance-enhancing programmes are designed to help athletes take their game to new heights. Runners, golfers, swimmers, cyclists, cross-trainers and other sports enthusiasts can gain greater core strength, stability, flexibility, balance and breath control.

Hasyayoga – also known as Laughing Yoga, this practice helps one to laugh their way to good health. It has been shown to potentially provide benefits to cardiovascular health, mood and increases one’s pain threshold.